Getting Back into Running

I love getting back into running because I know I won't have to put much time into it in order to get fast results. When I've had a big break from running it literally takes me 25-30mins of easy running before I feel my legs tighten and know that if I don't stop I'll be very sore the next few days.

The good news is that just that 25-mins at an easy pace is all I need to do to get improvements to my running fitness. Once I've built my running durations up and got over the initial adjustment period, it takes a lot more running to elicit the same results.

Start Easy to Avoid Pain and Maintain Improvements
If you're getting back into running, the worst thing you can do is go out without thinking about how long you should run for. A run should always start fun and easy but that's because we're fresh. If we get carried away and think that somehow we never lost any running fitness, then we're destined for a painful few days of recovery.

Now you might think that "the more sore we get the better the results" and it's often true that muscle soreness tells us we've done a challenging workout but if you're sore for more than 3 days then you're probably not training during that time.

If you're not training then you're missing the opportunity to improve or even maintain your fitness level. If your legs are sore they will come back stronger but in that time, your cardiovascular system isn't being exercised so will start heading backwards.

6  Steps to Easing Back into Running

1. If you can figure out and stick to the appropriate duration and speed for your first run then you'll have a great first run back. Figure out your first run details or follow those in step 2.

2. If you haven't run in a while but used to run lots, then start at 20mins and see how far you get running around a park at a 7/10. You can use the footpath if you prefer but stay on the flat to keep it simple.

3. Do exactly the same as above a few days later to consolidate. Don't go faster just because you feel better.

4. Next time run for 25mins at a 7/10 and consolidate a few days later. Follow this pattern for 4 weeks (taking you to 40mins) then peg the duration back to 30mins for an easy couple of sessions.

5. After your easy week go back to building up durations until you reach a duration you're happy with such as 50mins.

6. Now that you know you can run at a comfortable pace for your target duration it's time to slowly increase your speeds. If you have a means of monitoring your speed then record it each time you run and increase it in the same way you did your durations.

Increase speed in one session, consolidate the next. Do this for 3 weeks, then peg the speed back for a couple of easy runs. You'll soon hit a plateau which is when you should look at introducing hill and interval training.

If you have a gym membership then running on a treadmill will allow you to know exactly what speeds you're going and if you record each run speed and distance then you'll learn for future runs and see concrete improvements.

Treadmills are a good way to get monitor your progress

Walking to Jogging
The above steps are a brief guide for getting back into running and will only work for you if you've done a fair bit of running in the past. If you've never done much running then I suggest you use the same 6 steps discussed above but with walking.

When you're no longer getting challenged and find yourself becoming impatient, bring in a short jog to increase the speed of your workout. Jogging increases the demands of your workout a lot so once again, increase your speeds slowly and progressively to assure comfortable, ongoing improvements.

Summary
This article will sound very conservative to many of you but if you're looking to get back into running as a lifestyle change then your progress does not need to be fast. Running is far more fun when you're experiencing non-stop progress and planned recovery weeks as opposed to non-stop muscle soreness and chronic injury lay-offs.

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